Virtela Fastens Global Network Solution for PennEngineering
Virtela Engineers Fully Redundant Managed Network in Asia,
Integrated with U.S. and European Operations, for Leading Fastener
Manufacturer
DENVER, November 28, 2007 - Virtela, the secure
network solutions company, today announced that PennEngineering, a
leading specialty fastener manufacturer, is using Virtela's managed
Virtual Private Network (VPN) in Asia to link to its private global
network across three continents.
As PennEngineering expanded its operations internationally, its
previous network provider was not able to meet the company's need
for fast and affordable in-country network services, particularly
for new manufacturing plants in China. Initially impressed by
Virtela's capabilities in the Asia Pacific region, PennEngineering
selected Virtela to bring up and manage network services there and
is exploring other ways Virtela can help them. Virtela's ability to
create a fault tolerant design, cut installation timeframes, and
deliver proactive customer service at an attractive price point led
to expanding the Virtela network footprint and planning for
additional services, such as Virtela's recently introduced
Accelerated WAN Service.
"Virtela has far exceeded the experience we have had with
previous carriers, especially with regard to time savings and
service. An example is their extremely automated network management
tool which gives us real-time notifications," said Adam Phillipps,
director of technical architecture for PennEngineering. "Our
limited IT staff did not have to deal with the technical and
administrative challenges of getting services installed in
locations where English is not the preferred language. Virtela was
able to meet a very short implementation timeline to bring our
production facilities online, even cutting some of our installation
timeframes by half."
The PennEngineering network was designed for high availability,
with Virtela providing automatic failover across multiple carriers
and employing DSL for the backup network. The network also
supported the company's business critical rollout of the JD Edwards
ERP applications suite. "Virtela helped us meet a tight schedule
for our ERP implementation that had a far reaching effect on the
business," Phillipps noted.
Going forward, PennEngineering expects to reap additional
synergies by leveraging Virtela's Regional Policy Centers (RPCs)
around the world as extensions of the manufacturer's own data
centers. This will eliminate the need for the company to
orchestrate the placement of its own equipment in those
locations.
Virtela aggregates and integrates the best local, regional and
global networks around the world to offer unparalleled geographic
reach. By adding a unique layer of intelligence that performs
optimal routing and automatic fail-over between networks, Virtela's
multi-carrier Global Service Fabric infrastructure gives
enterprises an inherently higher performing, more reliable and cost
effective alternative than single carrier networks. Virtela is the
single point of contact for expert design, implementation, 24x7
monitoring and management of customer networks.
"PennEngineering fits into Virtela's sweet spot as a midsize
enterprise customer needing a flexible network design and
high-touch support to accommodate a growing global footprint," said
Bill Dodds, Virtela's vice president of direct sales. "We're
pleased to have surpassed their expectations for performance and
look forward to helping further accelerate their business as our
relationship expands."
About PennEngineering
PennEngineering develops and manufactures PEM® self-clinching,
broaching, weld, and surface mount fasteners; SI® inserts for
plastics; and Atlas® SpinTite®, MaxTite®, and Plus+Tite® blind
threaded inserts. The Company's fastener-installation equipment
includes PEMSERTER® automatic and manual precision presses, In-Die
and robotics capabilities, the StickScrew® System for small-screw
insertion, and Atlas® tools. The Automotive Fastener Division
specifically makes fasteners and precision components primarily
targeting the transportation and industrial market sectors.
Headquartered in Danboro, PA, USA, PennEngineering operates
manufacturing facilities and key sales offices in North America,
Europe, and Asia and is supported by a worldwide network of
authorized engineering representatives and distributors.
About Virtela
Virtela Communications Inc. delivers award-winning network and
security solutions to many of the world's largest and
fastest-growing multinational companies. Currently serving
customers across six continents, Virtela's network reach spans more
than 190 countries. Virtela's unique Global Service FabricSM offers
the foundation for delivering critical applications via the
company's acclaimed service methodology, with a services suite that
includes MPLS- and IP-based virtual private networks (VPNs),
security services, remote monitoring and management of WAN/LAN
infrastructure, and converged services (data, video, voice).
Virtela is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with a second
Network Operations Center in Mumbai, India. Virtela is a member of
Juniper Networks' (Nasdaq: JNPR) Managed Network Solutions
Preferred Alliance Program. For more information, please call +1
(720) 475-4000 or visit www.virtela.com.
Media Contact:
Jane Morrissey
Virtela
720.475.4012 (office)
303.808.7671 (mobile)
jmorrissey@virtela.com